For every Dracula, Michael Myers, or Pennywise, there are plenty of horror movie villains who haven't shared in mainstream success. Many of them come from good movies, but breaking into the spotlight is tough. Here are some of our favorite forgotten horror movie villains we'd love to get another chance. Who would you put on your list of underrated horror movie villains?
1. Dr. Caligari - The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)
[Source: Decla-Flim/IMDb]
For a film as influential as The Lost Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, it's surprising that there haven't been more movies. There were a few quasi-sequels, but none were memorable enough to rival the original German expressionist film. Because that film was released in 1920, it's in the public domain, making it a perfect pick to adapt into a modern movie. For the majority of the film, we see Dr. Caligari as a man who uses control and suggestion to force a somnambulist to kill. (FYI, a somnambulist is a sleepwalker.) However, in another twist, he's actually the doctor at an asylum, and the story comes from one of his patients. It's left to the viewer to decide whether or not he's even an evil man.
2. Dr. Jack Griffin - The Invisible Man (1933)
[Source: Universal Pictures Corp./IMDb]
Not every Universal Monsters character has shared in the notoriety of the others. The Invisible Man had several sequel movies, the most recent of which was Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man from 1951. There was also a The Invisible Man movie in 2020, but the character traded his iconic bandages and sunglasses for an allusion to domestic violence trauma. While it wasn't a bad movie by any means, Universal Monsters fans were left wanting something more like the original character. We'd love to see this classic given new life!
3. Gill-Man - Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954)
[Source: Universal-International/IMDb]
Universal Monsters are some of the most famous with classic characters like Dracula and the Mummy, but the Gill-man from Creature from the Black Lagoon doesn't nearly share the same creature fame. There were two lesser-known sequels in 1955 and 1956, but the Gill-man quickly fell into obscurity. There were quite a few canceled remakes for Creature from the Black Lagoon throughout the '80s, '90s, 2000s, and after, but we hope that one day, the Gill-man gets his chance to shine.
4. Lord Summerisle - The Wicker Man (1973)
[Source: British Lion Films/IMDb]
Lord Summerisle is the primary antagonist of the 1973 horror classic The Wicker Man. Surprisingly, he didn't come back in the infamous 2006 remake with Nicholas Cage remake. Instead, the role was turned into Sister Summerisle. While another more faithful remake could be done, we'd love to see either a sequel or a prequel featuring Lord Summerisle. The island and its society were founded by his grandfather, a plot point worth exploring. Also, Lord Summerisle was still alive at the end of the first movie, unlike some horror villains. There are so many directions to go! A sequel film script treatment named The Loathsome Lambton Worm was written in 1989 but never made it to the silver screen.
5. Helena Markos - Suspiria (1977)
[Source: Seda Spettacoli/IMDb]
Horror and witches go hand in hand, and it would be amazing to see another witch vaulted to stardom. In Suspiria, Helena Markos is an ancient witch known as Mater Suspiriorum. She is one of a trio of witches with immense power who intend to rule the world. The Tanz Akademie, where the movie takes place, is later found to have been founded in 1895 by Helena Markos. (That makes her over a century old.) While one remake of Suspiria in 2018 changed some of the details, we'd love to see a prequel about how Helena Markos and her coven came to power!
6. The Tall Man - Phantasm (1979)
[Source: New Breed Productions/IMDb]
The Tall Man was originally a mortician named Jebediah Morningside. However, he developed an odd fascination with the connection between the worlds of the living and the dead, which led him to construct a machine capable of allowing a person to travel between time and space. After his first successful trip through the portal, he was irrevocably changed, becoming the person we know as the Tall Man. He gained strange new abilities, including super strength, transforming himself, and telekinesis. His foreboding figure even influenced the design of Slenderman, but we believe he deserves another chance to terrify audiences with his chrome spheres!
7. Pamela Voorhees - Friday the 13th (1980)
[Source: Georgetown Productions Inc./IMDb]
Do you remember when Ghostface asked Casey Becker to "name the killer in Friday the 13th" in Scream? Many people (including Casey) incorrectly assume it's Jason Voorhees because he took over the franchise. However, in the first movie, it was actually his mother, Pamela Voorhees. She took out her anger on the camp staff for negligently allowing her son to die by trying to kill anyone who wanted to bring back Camp Crystal Lake. If they can somehow make Jason come back to life to continue the franchise, we'd love to see them bring Pamela back, too.
8. Harry Warden/The Miner - My Bloody Valentine (1981)
[Source: Canadian Film Development Corporation/Secret Film Company/IMDb]
Plenty of our favorite horror movie villains, including the lesser-known Harry Warden, wear masks to hide their identities. Affectionately referred to as "The Miner", Harry Warden was the lone survivor from a mining tunnel cave-in on Valentine's Day that completely altered his psyche. While the Valentine Bluffs suspended Valentine's Day celebrations for 20 years after the accident, Harry threatens the town when holiday activities are reinstated. He has such a cool look and a unique weapon for a slasher, and we'd love to see him make a Valentine's Day comeback!
9. Cropsy - The Burning (1981)
[Source: Cropsy Venture/Miramax Films/IMDb]
Initially a box office flop, The Burning later became a cult classic. It resembles the Friday the 13th franchise, with a man exacting his revenge on local campers. However, the end of the movie reveals campers telling the story of Cropsy around a campfire, giving the character an urban legend feel. We would love to see Cropsy and his famous shears return to haunt another campground, with campers sharing the tale by the firelight. Including a killer soundtrack in homage to the original movie would also be nice. Surprisingly, the movie had a decent soundtrack, with the rock band Yes composing the score.
10. Conal Cochran - Halloween III (1982)
[Source: Dino De Laurentiis Corporation/Deborah Hill Productions/IMDb]
In a complete departure from the first two Halloween films, Halloween III introduced bad guy businessman Conal Cochran, owner of the Silver Shamrock company. While he appears to sell Halloween masks and other seasonal novelties, in reality, he's a warlock intent on using Halloween masks to mass-sacrifice people for his ancient Celtic beliefs. It is true that he dies at the end of the movie and never appears in the Halloween franchise again, but we could reasonably see him come back with ancient ritual magic. After all, in true Halloween franchise fashion, The Shape always comes back.
11. Mr. Dark - Something Wicked This Way Comes (1983)
[Source: Walt Disney Productions/The Bryna Company/IMDb]
A little on the lighter side of the horror genre, Mr. Dark owns a sinister carnival that uses its appeal to collect innocent souls. The carnival has some interesting attractions, from a carousel that can age you or bring you back to youth, depending on whether you ride it forwards or backward, and a sinister mirror maze. The character is from a Ray Bradbury novel of the same name, but we'd love to see more of him if it could be arranged!
12. Julia and Frank - Hellraiser (1987)
[Source: Film Futures/IMDb]
After the striking Cenobites and the iconic Pinhead, it's sometimes hard to remember that Julia and Frank Cotton were the true villains in the first Hellraiser movie. Frank purchased the Lament Configuration in Morocco to experience its sensual pleasures but ultimately died after solving it. Julia later finds his incomplete resurrected form and brings unsuspecting men to him to help restore his body. (Honestly, they kill more people in the first Hellraiser than Pinhead and the Cenobites.) While Julia made another appearance in Hellraiser II, neither one of the pair was featured in the 2022 reboot movie. The fact that they can both be resurrected makes it so easy to give them another chance!
13. Pumpkinhead - Pumpkinhead (1988)
[Source: De Laurentiis Entertainment Group/IMDb]
Monsters are horror movie bread and butter, and we'd love to see more Pumpkinhead. Horror movies are popular viewing around Halloween, and this Halloween-themed movie monster fits in so well! Rumors of a reboot have been swirling since 2021, but we have not heard anything concrete. As an instrument of vengeance, the true terror of Pumpkinhead is when the summoner realizes that they're slowly turning into a monster themself. It would be awesome if we could explore this idea even further, as the three Pumpkinhead sequels were major flops.
14. Killer Klowns - Killer Klowns from Outer Space (1988)
[Source: Chiodo Bros./IMDb]
The premise of Killer Klowns from Outer Space might be silly, but the movie is so much fun to watch that we want more! The Killer Klowns are extraterrestrials who want to take over planet Earth, and they start in the small town of Crescent Cove. Weapons include cotton candy guns, popcorn bazookas, acid pies, and other very circus-clown-like contraptions, which enable them to nearly wipe out the town. While we saw the likely demise of this particular crew of Killer Klowns, we can only assume that there must be more. Our one demand for a sequel is that they hire another rock band to keep the killer soundtrack going!
15. Annie Wilkes - Misery (1990)
[Source: Castle Rock Entertainment/Nelson Entertainment/IMDb]
"I'm your number one fan." Such an innocent-sounding phrase becomes a menacing string of words when spoken by Misery's Annie Wilkes. While she seemed like a one-and-done villain, parts of her backstory revealed in the film have us thinking they could do a prequel on Annie Wilkes. We find out she has a past of jumping from hospital to hospital, likely leaving to escape detection as an angel of mercy. While we don't expect her to make a miraculous recovery from her death at the end of the film, seeing her days as a killer nurse sounds like a compelling way to bring the character back.
16. Candyman - Candyman (1992)
[Source: Propaganda Films/PolyGram Filmed Entertainment/IMDb]
Candyman was a fun twist on the "Bloody Mary" urban legend, bringing social commentary into a slasher movie. We love how it made you think while delivering the typical slasher movie thrills. Tony Todd gave an incredible performance as Candyman, and we'd love to see more! There were two poorly-rated sequels and a better reboot of Candyman in 2021, but we hope we're not done with him. While a prequel had been considered and rejected, we'd love to have more insight into the background of the Candyman.
17. Nancy Downs - The Craft (1996)
[Source: Columbia Pictures/Red Wagon Entertainment/IMDb]
What would you do if it turned out that you had the power to hex people? In the case of Nancy Downs, she let that power go to her head, even going as far as to invoke Manon. When her power and authority were threatened, she resorted to violence. She eventually had her magical powers bound by Sarah and was institutionalized at the film's end. Nancy had a very brief cameo at the end of the video on demand, The Craft: Legacy from 2020, but we'd honestly love to see more of her. How did she and the other girls learn about Manon and start their coven? What would happen if Nancy were to be rehabilitated or escape the asylum? We need to know!
18. Ginger - Ginger Snaps (2000)
[Source: Oddbod Productions/IMDb]
There have been many werewolf movie adaptations after Universal Pictures introduced The Wolf Man in 1941, but most depictions of werewolves have been male. However, teenager Ginger from Ginger Snaps became a fresh new face for women werewolves, and we'd love to see more of her! The movie released a sequel and a prequel in 2004, but the franchise has remained relatively quiet.
19. Mick Taylor - Wolf Creek (2005)
Something is menacing about this rugged man of the Australian Outback. Mick Taylor is a serial killer who generally targets tourists and is the antagonist in the Wolf Creek films. The franchise has one sequel, with rumors of another, and a TV mini-series with a limited release in the United States. The low-budget Australian horror movie was a commercial success, and some fans have expressed the desire for more Wolf Creek movies.
20. Leslie Vernon - Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon (2006)
[Source: GlenEcho Entertainment/Code Entertainment/IMDb]
In an interesting twist on the slasher movie, Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon is shot mainly in a documentary style. However, by the end, it shifts to a standard horror movie when the film crew decides to step in and ruin Leslie's plans due to their guilt. The movie beautifully sets itself up for a sequel with the "defeated" killer sitting up on his autopsy table. What are his next moves when a film crew is not following him?
21. Mary Shaw - Dead Silence (2007)
[Source: Twisted Pictures/IMDb]
How do you kill the undead? Mary Shaw was the vengeful poltergeist of a successful ventriloquist who let her vanity get the best of her. When she was still alive, she was a very good ventriloquist who was perhaps a little too obsessed with her dummies, which she regarded as her children. In one performance, a young boy shouted that he could see her lips move. She kidnapped him in anger after the performance and was killed by the locals for her actions, who went so far as to rip her tongue out. In her will, she asked to be cosmetically altered to look like a ventriloquist doll, which was done before she was buried. She became something of a local legend, with a nursery rhyme made to tell you what to do if you meet Mary Shaw—"Beware the stare of Mary Shaw. She had no children, only dolls. And if you see her in your dreams; be sure to never ever scream."
22. Lola Stone - The Loved Ones (2009)
Get ready for the worst prom night of your life. Lola Stone is the daughter of a deranged serial killer and his partner in crime. We're curious how he got her on board with his wicked ways, but that would involve another movie. (Which we totally wouldn't mind!) In this Australian horror movie, Lola is upset when her crush rejects her invitation to the formal because he's already planning to take his girlfriend. Unlike typical high schoolers who ask someone else or decide not to go, Lola and her father make him their next target.
23. The Collector - The Collector (2009)
[Source: LD Entertainment/Fortress Features/Imaginarium Entertainment Group/IMDb]
The Collector is an entomologist or someone who studies bugs, although he leads a double life as a serial killer. As a child, his father killed his entire family, leaving him as the only survivor. This left such an impression on him that it became part of his M.O. Dubbed "the Collector" by law enforcement, he would target families and kill everyone but one, taking his chosen victim to an abandoned hotel to become part of his "collection". While there was one sequel, the fate of the Collector is only implied, leaving room for future movies.
24. Bughuul - Sinister (2012)
Bughuul is an ancient Babylonian deity/demon who manipulates children into killing their families before consuming their souls. Throughout the movie, you mostly catch glimpses here and there of Bughuul as they're piecing together the mystery of the murder tapes. The tapes date back to 1966, 1979, 1986, 1998, 2011, and 2012, when the events in Sinister occurred. We'd honestly love to see Sinister movies from any previous tapes in their vintage settings!
25. The Crooked Man - The Conjuring 2 (2016)
[Source: New Line Cinema/RatPac-Dune Entertainment/The Safran Company/Atomic Monster/IMDb]
The Crooked Man is a secondary antagonist first introduced in The Conjuring 2. (He is not to be confused with The Crooked Man movie, which came out the same year, 2016.) His figure is strange and intimidating—he is incredibly tall and spindly and wears a hat over his head, where his beady eyes peer through above a toothy grin peeking out from under the brim. Horror fans immediately wanted more of this stylish new villain, and for a time, there were rumors of a Crooked Man spinoff movie. While news has been quiet about the fate of the Crooked Man, we think the character is too good to go to waste!
There are so many unique horror movie villains that we couldn't possibly mention them all, but we feel like these characters deserve another shot. Who are your favorite underappreciated horror movie villains? Are there any types of horror movie villains you'd like to see represented more in general? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!
